The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Azalea plant botanically known as Rhododendron hybrid and hereinafter referred to by the cultivar name ‘Lazamorink’.
The new cultivar originated in a controlled breeding program in Independence, La. during the spring of 1997. The objective of the breeding program was the development of Azalea cultivars with attractive flower color with multi-seasonal blooming and that perform well in the garden.
The new Azalea cultivar is the result of open-pollination. The female (seed) parent of the new cultivar is Autumn Rouge ‘Conlea’, U.S. Plant Pat. No. 10,438, characterized by its semi-double type, dark pink-colored flowers, dark green-colored foliage, and vigorous, semi-upright growth habit. The male (pollen) parent of the new cultivar is unknown however the female was outdoors and in close proximity to numerous proprietary hybrids that had cold hardiness, compact growth habit, and multi-seasonal blooming traits. The new cultivar was discovered and selected as a single flowering plant within the progeny of the above stated open-pollination during the fall of 2002 in a controlled environment in Independence, La.
Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar by terminal stem cuttings since the fall of 2002 in Independence, La. and later in Loxley, Ala. and Irvington, Ala. has demonstrated that the new cultivar reproduces true to type with all of the characteristics, as herein described, firmly fixed and retained through successive generations of such asexual propagation.